The honest guide to links, partnerships, and value for value.
No hype, no fear-selling, no jargon. Just how the best operators actually trade value for value, from someone who has been building websites since 1999.
Value for value
Cross-Promotion: How to Grow by Trading Value for Value
Cross-promotion is value for value in its simplest form: two or more sites lending each other their audiences. What it is, why it works, and examples by channel.
What Is Value-for-Value Marketing?
Value-for-value marketing is the oldest deal there is, applied to websites: real businesses trade things worth something, so everyone leaves better off. No cash, no cold pitch.
Better links, less grind
How Collaboration Earns Backlinks
Collaboration is one of the best ways to earn backlinks. The old 'give and expect nothing' advice had it half right. Here is the honest version, and how to do it.
How to Get Backlinks Worth Having
How to get backlinks without buying them or spamming for them. The durable methods that actually earn links, from someone who has seen the other playbook.
Link Building Without the Cold-Outreach Grind
Cold outreach is a numbers game with brutal numbers. Here is how to build links without the seventy-email slog, by making the ask warm and relevant instead of cold.
Links & Google
Are Link Exchanges Safe? The Group Chat Answer
The honest, been-there answer on whether link exchanges are safe: what Google actually targets, why ABC schemes give you away, and the swap worth making.
The 25 Types of Backlinks, and Which Ones Are Worth It
All 25 types of backlinks, what Google actually says about each, and a plain verdict, sorted into the ones worth earning, the ones that are fine in moderation, and the ones to avoid.
What Is a Reciprocal Link, and Are They Bad for SEO?
A reciprocal link is two websites agreeing to link to each other. Here is what that means, whether reciprocal links hurt your SEO, and where Google draws the line.